Golf glove with grip pressure reducing means

ABSTRACT

A golf grip training apparatus for resisting finger and thumb flexion and for counteracting grip forces is disclosed. The apparatus assists the golfer in achieving a lighter grip pressure than would be exerted on the club without its use by providing a golf glove adapted with means for actively counteracting grip pressure by creating forces in opposition to those required for gripping the club handle. The apparatus is used to teach the golfer to relax the hands and fingers and to hold the club handle more lightly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention relates generally to training devices for the gameof golf, and more particularly to a golf glove adapted to activelypromote a reduction in grip pressure on a golf club.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Grip pressure (i.e., the force applied by the thumb, fingers and handsaround the grip portion of a golf club shaft) is a critical factor inthe execution of a successful golf swing. Grip pressure should be aslight on the club as possible without sacrificing control of the club.The golfer must have a firm enough grip to prevent axial slippage androtation of the club relative to the golfer's hands, and yet have alight enough grip to deliver the clubhead accurately and squarely intothe ball. A proper grip therefore should generate a feeling ofcontrolling the club without sacrificing the ability to sense the weightof the club head. Grip pressure should remain constant at all timesduring the set-up, back-swing and follow-through.

The average golfer tends to grip the club too tightly, exertingexcessive force on the club which is detrimental to accuracy anddistance that the golf ball travels. The golfer's desire to achievegreater shot distance is a primary cause of overgripping the club. Whenaddressing the ball, there is often a great deal of anticipation, stressand build up of energy, making it difficult to relax various parts ofthe body, especially the arms and hands. It is a human instinct undersuch circumstances to close the hands tightly. This occurs, therefore,in the absence of conscious awareness or thought. The tendency is oftencompounded during the golf swing when the desire to achieve greater shotdistance results in a conscious effort to swing the golf club faster andstrike the ball harder. When doing so, the centrifugal force of thefaster moving golf club (i.e., the force acting from the grip in thedirection of the clubhead) will require the golfer to grip the club evenmore firmly to prevent axial slippage. A conscious or unconscious fearof losing hold of the golf club results in the tendency to grip the clubmore than necessary. Ironically, over gripping the club impedesnecessary forearm and wrist movement which in turn results in diminishedclubhead speed, power loss and inability to deliver the club head to theball squarely. By contrast, lighter grip-pressure encourages morewrist-hinge, which creates a stronger release and increased swing speedduring the downswing.

Heretofore, there have been various attempts in the art for creatinggolf grip pressure training devices to improve a golfer's play of thegame. A first category of inventions are golf club centric, meaning theyinvolve modification of the golf club rather than the golf glove. Manyof these training aids involve measuring the golfer's grip. U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,138,118 to Lorang, 4,103,896 to Budney, and 3,323,367 issuedSearle, are illustrative. The Budney reference teaches a golf gripemploying strain gauges fixedly mounted on selected locations of thehandle. The strain gauges are connected to a remote recorder whichprovides a series of graphs which can be compared to the graphs producedby an expert golfer. Lorang teaches a golf grip training apparatushaving a switch lever mounted on one side of the golf club handle.Excessive pressure exerted by the middle fingers of the off-target handcauses the lever to close a circuit to activate a signaling devicemounted on the club. Searle teaches a plurality of pressure sensitivesensors mounted on the handle of a golf club to respond to the grippressure of both hands. The sensors are part of a bridge circuit whichindicates grip pressure information on a meter attached to the club.While these innovations do teach the golfer to be consciously aware ofexcessive grip pressure through visual or audible feedback, they do notactively counteract grip pressure.

A second category of inventions, and that to which the subject inventionis directed, are golf glove centric, meaning they involve modificationof the golf glove rather than the golf club. These innovations areprimarily in the form of training gloves which include a sensoryfeedback mechanism such as an electronic pressure pad or other sensorymeasurement device. Some prior art pressure recognition devices areconnected to an output signaling device such as a light-emitting lamp orsound alarm. Here again, these training aids do not actively counteractgrip pressure on a golf club handle, but instead provide the golfer withvisual or audible feedback.

In view of the shortcomings and limitations of the above described priorart, it is desirable to have a training device which will not only causethe golfer to be consciously aware of his or her grip pressure whileholding a golf club, but which also actively assists the golfer inachieving a lighter grip by counteracting the golfer's gripping force.

The following additional U.S. patents relating to sports gloves,orthopedic gloves, exercise gloves, and the like, are incorporatedherein by reference: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,830,360 Orthopedic Exercise glove;5,453,064 Exercise Glove Incorporating Rods which Offer Resistance toMovement of Fingers, Hands or Wrists; 5,708,979 Glove with Elastic Back;6,415,445 Sports Glove; 7,293,296 Football Glove and Method of Use;3,918,096 Flexible Motorcycle Glove; 3,997,922 Glove; 4,146,935 Glovefor Hobbling Grip; 4,675,914 Hard-grip Glove; 4,864,660 FlexibleHand-Conforming Protective Glove; 5,511,247 Sports Glove with ForefingerStiffener; 5,628,069 Glove with Bistable Spring Element; 5,758,365 SportGlove and Support Insert; 6,543,058 Glove with an Exoskeleton Layer;6,625,815 Glove with an Exoskeleton Layer; 6,862,744 Athletic Glove;6,944,884 Glove with a Web Structure; 5,669,073 Golf Glove with GripPositioning Means; 5,742,942 Golf Glove Having Club-Gripping Strap;6,889,389 Glove with Padding for Back of Hand; and 7,234,172 Glove withSupport for Hyper-Extension Resistance. None of these references teach agolf glove designed to actively counteract grip pressure on a golf clubhandle.

All patents, patent applications, provisional applications, andpublications referred to or cited herein, or from which a claim forbenefit of priority has been made, are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with theexplicit teachings of this specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to meet the need in the art, the subject golf grip trainingapparatus and method have been created. Several embodiments of theinvention are discussed below.

The present invention relates generally to a golf glove possessing meansfor resisting finger and thumb flexion, that is to say movement from asubstantially straight or extended position to a bent or flexedposition, and for counteracting grip forces. When properly used inaccordance with the methods described herein, the apparatus assists thegolfer in achieving a lighter grip pressure than would be exerted on theclub without its use. The subject apparatus, therefore, provides a meansfor bringing the golfer's attention to his or her grip pressure and foractively counteracting grip pressure by creating forces in opposition tothose required for gripping the club handle. The apparatus is used toteach the golfer to relax the hands and fingers and to hold the clubhandle more lightly.

Each embodiment of the subject golf grip training apparatus is comprisedof a conventional golf glove adapted with means for counteracting gripforces produced by the wearer's fingers, thumb and hands. The gloveshell is made from conventional materials such as, for example, clothand/or supple thin natural or synthetic leather, typically two layers ofmaterial. The glove includes an access opening into which the golfer'shand is inserted and a slit extending along the back portion of theglove from access opening to permit the opening to be spread apart forease of hand insertion. A tab is fastened, such as by sewing, orintegrally formed with at least a portion of one side of the slit andextends over the slit to the second side for temporary fastening to theback portion of the glove. Cooperating hook-and-loop material isfastened in a conventional manner to the underside of the tab and acrossa portion of the back portion of the glove to facilitate closure. In apreferred embodiment, means for counteracting grip forces produced bythe wearer's fingers, thumb and hands comprise a plurality of elasticmembers disposed on the back of the glove with at least one such elasticmember being associated with each digit of the wearer and extending fromapproximately the fingertips to the back of the hand. Each elasticmember is capable of reversible deformation when subjected to forceapplied by the underlying digits and hand (such as when gripping thegolf club handle), and of storing potential energy in the process. Thedeformed elastic member exerts a force (called a restoring force)against the overlying digits and hand that is proportional to the amountof its deformation. When the wearer of the apparatus relaxes enough forhis gripping force to be less than the restoring force, the elasticmember will actively cause digital extension, moving the digits awayfrom the golf club handle facilitating a lighter grip. Elastic memberswith different amounts of rebounding force may be employed to suit theneeds of each user.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantcomponents and features of the invention in order that the detaileddescription thereof that follows may be better understood, and in orderthat the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will bedescribed hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of theclaims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least oneembodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention iscapable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out invarious ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein are for the purpose of description andshould not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure isbased, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of otherstructures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes ofthe present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims beregarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they donot depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the subject invention to provide agolf grip training aid and method of use that causes the user to be moreaware of his or her grip pressure by exerting counteracting forcesagainst the user's digits and hands when gripping the golf club.

It is another primary object of the subject invention to provide amethod and means for actively causing digital extension, moving thedigits away from the golf club handle, to facilitate a lighter grip.

It is also an object of the subject invention to provide a golf griptraining aid in the form of a golf glove which may be worn duringtraining as well as regular play.

Another object of the subject invention is to provide a golf griptraining aid which is relatively simple in design and therefore capableof rapid construction at relatively low costs.

Still another object of the subject invention is to provide a golf griptraining aid which is customizable to the needs of the individual user.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty which characterize the invention, arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, referenceshould be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter inwhich there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a back perspective view of the golf training glove of thisinvention with the closure tab in the open position;

FIG. 2 is a back perspective view of the golf training glove with theclosure tab in the closed position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an elastic member of the subjectapparatus in its neutral, non-deformed condition;

FIG. 4 is a thumb side view of the subject golf glove worn by a golfergripping a golf club handle; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an elastic member of the subjectapparatus when in its tensioned, deformed condition as in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 in which there is illustrated a backperspective view of the subject golf grip training aid designatedgenerally by reference numeral 10. Glove 10 is made from cloth and/orsupple thin natural or synthetic leather, typically with two layers ofmaterial. The glove is comprised of a palm covering portion 12, aplurality of finger covering portions 14 extending from the palmcovering portion 12 to receive and cover fingers, a thumb coveringportion 16 extending from the palm covering portion 12 to receive andcover the thumb, a back portion 18 associated with palm covering portion12 to form a chamber 20, the chamber having an access opening 22 intowhich the hand is slipped, the back portion 18 having a slit 24extending from access opening 22 toward the finger covering portions 14to permit opening 22 to be spread apart for ease of receiving a hand, atleast one elastic member 26 having a variable resistance to bending andbeing sized and configured to extend approximately from the distal end28 of a finger covering portion 14 (or thumb covering portion 16) pastand over the metacarpophalangeal joint (“MPJ”) region 30 of the backportion 18 terminating at a point between MPJ region 30 and opening 22,means for removably retaining the at least one elastic member 26substantially in place as herein described, a tab 32 fastened, such asby sewing, at one side of slit 16 (the ulnar side) and extending overslit 24 to the second side (the radial side), and cooperatinghook-and-loop material 34 fastened to the underside of tab 32 and acrossan area of back portion 18 of the glove to facilitate closure.

In a preferred embodiment, elastic members 26 are thin elongate bodiescomprised of a material capable of deformation (i.e., bending) whensubjected to force applied by the underlying fingers, thumb and hand,and further capable of then returning to their original shape when theforce is no longer applied. The elastic members, therefore, are subjectto elastic deformation, a deformation which is reversible. Softthermoplastics and metals have moderate elastic deformation ranges andare therefore preferred. Thermoplastics in particular are desirablebecause of their light weight relative to metals, their considerablelongevity in terms of extension/flexion cycles and because they can beimpregnated with antimicrobials. The elastic members 26 of the subjectinvention may be fabricated to varying dimensions to afford differentflexural strengths and therefore varying resistance to finger, thumb andhand flexure. When caused to bend by forces applied by the wearer'sdigits and hands, elastic members deliver counteracting forces causingdigital extension if the wearer reduces their gripping force such thatit less than the counteracting force. It is contemplated that more thanone elastic member 26 may be associated with a particular digit of theuser's hand to provide increased flexural resistance and counteractingforce.

Elastic members 26 are preferably but not essentially oriented relativeto back portion 18 of glove 10 in substantial alignment with theextensor tendons of the wearer's hand when inserted into the glove inconventional fashion. This coaxial alignment between the levers of thehand and finger (or hand and thumb) on the one hand, and the elasticmember 26 on the other hand, assures that all muscles that work theselevers for extension and flexion are uniformly counteracted by theresisting force of the overlying elastic member 26. Note that theelastic members 26 that are associated with the index finger, middlefinger and ring finger substantially converge at their proximal ends 36.The elastic member 26 associated with the pinky finger, by contrast, isoriented so that its proximal end 38 is at a distance from the proximalend 36 of the elastic member 26 associated with the ring fingersufficient to accommodate slit 24 there between. Note further that thelength of elastic members 26 associated with the index, middle and ringfingers will naturally be longer than those associated with the pinkyfinger and thumb. Accordingly, it is contemplated that elastic members26 be provided in different lengths ranging from approximately 3 inchesto 6 inches, or be provided in the maximum desired length, but capableof being trimmed as needed. Elastic members 26 may be scored, preferablyon their palmer facing side, to facilitate trimming. Elastic members 26will have a width of approximately 5-10 mm. Thickness will depend onsuch characteristics as tensile strength, yield strength and breakingstrength of the material selected. A Thickness of approximately 24 mm ispreferred. The elastic members may be tapered in proportion to the sizeof the underlying bone (and corresponding muscle strength) having widerand/or thicker dimensions proximate to the MPJ and tapering down in sizedistally.

Means for retaining elastic members 26 in the above describedorientations relative to the back portion 18 of glove 10 are preferablycomprised of a plurality of sleeves 40 within which at least one elasticmember 26 may be inserted. Each finger portion 14 and thumb portion 16includes a sleeve 40 associated therewith and attached via stitching,for example. Each sleeve 40 extends approximately from the distal end 28of a finger covering portion 14 (or thumb covering portion 16) past andover the metacarpophalangeal joint (“MPJ”) region 30 of back portion 18and terminates at a point between MPJ region 30 and opening 22. A sleeveopening 42 is associated with each sleeve 40 for insertion of elasticmembers 26. That portion of each sleeve 40 underlying tab 32 when in itsclosed position may include Those skilled in the art will recognizeother means for retaining elastic members 26 in place such as byadhering them to glove 10 using suitable adhesives or attaching them viaother mechanical means such as elastic bands or rivets.

By way of mechanics, each elastic member 26 when in a neutral, unbentcondition biases the wearer's finger (or thumb) into a substantiallyextended position. When acted upon by gripping forces exerted by thefingers and thumb as they grasp the golf club handle 100 (FIG. 4), theelastic members resist deformation in the form of bending. With regardto the method of the instant invention, therefore, each elastic member26 is capable of reversible deformation when subjected to force appliedby the underlying digits and hand (such as when gripping the golf clubhandle), and of storing potential energy in the process. Each deformedelastic member 26 exerts a restoring force against the underlying digitsand hand that is proportional to the amount of its deformation. Thisrestoring force may be sensed by the wearer of the apparatus therebycausing consciousness of grip pressure and encouraging the wearer toreduce same through relaxation of the hands. When the wearer of theapparatus relaxes enough for his gripping force to be less than therestoring force, the elastic member will actively cause extension of thewearer's digits, causing them to move away from the golf club handle 100as illustrated by the directional arrows of FIG. 4, thereby facilitatinga lighter grip.

Elastic members 26 with different amounts of rebounding force may beemployed to suit the needs of each user. For example, grip pressure fromthe last three fingers of the non-dominant hand control the golf swingduring the transition from backswing to downswing. It is the primarycontrolling part of the grip for substantially the entire swing, andthese three fingers grip the club slightly more firmly than the rest ofthe fingers. There is a natural tendency for the dominant side to try tohit the ball harder than the non-dominant side is capable ofcontrolling. A common problem encountered by golfers is they allow thedominant hand to overpower those three fingers on the non-dominant hand.To counteract this occurrence, it may be helpful to use more (orstronger) elastic members 26 on the dominant hand to compensate. Theincrease in restoring force exerted by such additional or strongerelastic members 26 will make it more difficult for the dominant hand toover grip the club handle.

In another example, individual digits may require more or less restoringforces to act on them in order to achieve a more uniform grip. Somegolfers may tend to apply excessive or inadequate force with one or moredigits. The golf grip training glove of the subject invention may becustomized to compensate for these deviations by assigning elasticmembers with greater or lesser flexural strength to each digit of thehand. By making these corrections, the amount of golf grip pressureneeded to swing the club while still maintaining control may beachieved.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to theparticular embodiments herein set forth, it is understood that thepresent disclosure has been made only by way of example and thatnumerous changes in details of construction may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope ofthe invention should not be limited by the foregoing specifications, butrather only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

1. A golf glove having a hand covering portion, a finger coveringportion and finger covering portions, wherein the improvement comprises:a. at least one elastic member extending over the backs of: i. at leasta portion of said hand covering portion, and:
 1. each of said fingercovering portions; and
 2. said thumb covering portion; and b. means forretaining said at least one elastic member substantially in place.
 2. Agolf grip training apparatus for reducing grip pressure on a golf clubhandle, the apparatus comprising: a. a golf glove comprised of a palmcovering portion, a plurality of finger covering portions extending fromsaid palm covering portion to receive and cover fingers, a thumbcovering portion extending from said palm covering portion to receiveand cover the thumb, a back portion associated with said palm coveringportion to form a chamber, said chamber having an access opening intowhich a hand is slipped, said back portion having a slit extending fromsaid access opening toward said finger covering portions to permit saidaccess opening to be spread apart for ease of receiving the hand, and atab fastened to one side of said slit for adjustable engagement with anarea of said back portion of the glove; b. at least one elastic memberoverlying the back of each of said finger covering portions and at leasta portion of said back portion; and c. means for retaining said at leastone elastic member substantially in place.
 3. A method of reducing grippressure on a golf club handle, the method comprising the steps of: a.wearing on at least one hand a golf glove comprised of: i. a palmcovering portion, a plurality of finger covering portions extending fromsaid palm covering portion to receive and cover fingers, a thumbcovering portion extending from said palm covering portion to receiveand cover the thumb, a back portion associated with said palm coveringportion to form a chamber, said chamber having an access opening intowhich a hand is slipped, said back portion having a slit extending fromsaid access opening toward said finger covering portions to permit saidaccess opening to be spread apart for ease of receiving the hand, and atab fastened to one side of said slit for adjustable engagement with anarea of said back portion of the glove; ii. at least one elastic memberoverlying the back of each of said finger covering portions and at leasta portion of said back portion; and iii. means for retaining said atleast one elastic member substantially in place; b. applying a grippingforce to a golf club handle using said at least one hand thereby causingdeformation of said elastic members and creating a restoring forcetherein; c. relaxing said at least one hand until said gripping force isless than said restoring force; whereby each said elastic member willcause extension of the wearer's digits, causing them to move away fromthe golf club handle thereby creating a lighter golf grip.